So this is not a passenger car I noticed this in, however not sure it makes much of a difference in this case. I use Pennzoil Ultra in all our vehicles, mowers ect... So I pulled our Zeroturn out of storage today, It was parked in early November and last started in December.
The 10w30 Pennzoil Ultra oil in the mower has about 100 hours on it, last changed last July. Before I started it I checked the oil just to make sure there was something in it (wasn't a puddle under it so it had to have had oil in it but I always double check), all looked well. I backed the mower out, and shut it off, it ran at low idle for a total of a minute at most.
I pulled the dipstick after the mower was outside to get a better look at it and there it was, there was the gunky looking stuff that you see in the bottom of the jugs on the dipstick, to be sure I drained the oil out and I believe It was the additives I was seeing on the bottom of the clear container. So I assume if that gunk on the bottom of the containers is additives that have separated once you run the engine it blends back together and if it sits a while the additives fall back out. In this case the thicker oil (10w30) and cooler temps (40) and only running it for a minute splashed some on the dipstick where it stayed where I can see it.
My issue is may just be one of complete ignorance, but I have never seen this with any other oil that I know of, at least not to this degree. It makes me nervous.
I have read all the threads on the subject that I could find and am somewhat comfortable using the oil, although now I am having second thoughts....
The 10w30 Pennzoil Ultra oil in the mower has about 100 hours on it, last changed last July. Before I started it I checked the oil just to make sure there was something in it (wasn't a puddle under it so it had to have had oil in it but I always double check), all looked well. I backed the mower out, and shut it off, it ran at low idle for a total of a minute at most.
I pulled the dipstick after the mower was outside to get a better look at it and there it was, there was the gunky looking stuff that you see in the bottom of the jugs on the dipstick, to be sure I drained the oil out and I believe It was the additives I was seeing on the bottom of the clear container. So I assume if that gunk on the bottom of the containers is additives that have separated once you run the engine it blends back together and if it sits a while the additives fall back out. In this case the thicker oil (10w30) and cooler temps (40) and only running it for a minute splashed some on the dipstick where it stayed where I can see it.
My issue is may just be one of complete ignorance, but I have never seen this with any other oil that I know of, at least not to this degree. It makes me nervous.
I have read all the threads on the subject that I could find and am somewhat comfortable using the oil, although now I am having second thoughts....